Sprocket-chain



No. 6l9,3l5. Patented Feb; I4, 1899-.

R. M. KEATI NG.

SPBDGKET CHAIN.

IApplication flled' Feb. 27, 1897,)

(No Model.)

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rimming UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

ROBERT M. KEATING, OF SPRINGFIELD, MASSACHUSETTS.

SPROCKET-CHAIN.

SPECIFICATION forming part Of Letters Patent No. 619,315, dated February 14, 1899.

Application filed February 27, 1897. Serial No. 625,288. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that 1, ROBERT M. KEATING, a citizen of the United States of America, residing in. Springfield, in the county of Hampden and State of Massachusetts, have invented new and useful Improvements in Sprocket- Chains, of which the following is a specification, reference being had to the accompanying drawings and letters of reference marked thereon.

In the drawings like letters of reference indicate like parts.

Figure 1 is a side view of my improved device. Fig. 2 is a plan view of the same with a part in section. Fig. 3 is a side and edge view of one of the outer links, a part of the edge view being in section. Fig. 4is an inner face and edge view of one of the inner links with a part of the edge view in section; and Fig. 5 is an enlarged view of the several parts, showing their construction and arrangement and relation to each other, a part of the antifriction-roll and collar or bushing being broken away and a part of two links being shown in section.

In detail, (1 indicates the inner links. b indicates the outer links c, the pivots or rivets; cl, antifriction-rolls; e, collars or sleeves, and f recesses in the inner face of the inner links to receive the ends of the collars or sleeves.

The object of my invention is to provide an improved construction of sprocket-chain wherein friction will be avoided and a rolling contact between the sprocket-wheel and engaging parts of the chain is produced and wherein the wear of the antifriction-rolls upon their supports will be reduced to a minimum and wherein the parts subjected to the greatest Wear may be hardened without also hardening parts of the device which it is found objectionable to harden and to provide a construction wherein the wear is extended over a large area and generally to improve the construction of sprocket-chains.

My invention consists in the construction and arrangement as herein set out, whereby the objects of my invention are attained.

The construction of my device will be readily understood on reference to the drawings, wherein I show a series of inner links a, provided near each end with rivet or pivot openings and with recesses f, into which the ends of the collars or sleeves e fit. The antifriction-rolls d are mounted upon the collars 0r sleeves e, and the rivets or pivot-pins c are of a size at their body or intermediate portion to fit the openings in the sleeves and the openings in the inner links, and at their ends are of less diameter than their body portion and pass through suitable openings in the outer links b, the shoulders of the pins bearing against the inner face of the outer links, so that when the ends of the rivets or pins care upset all danger of binding the antifrictionwheels between the side walls of the inner links is avoided.

It will be seen that the collars or sleeves 6 rest within the recesses fin the inner face of the inner links and bear with their ends in the bottom of these recesses. It will now be observed that the sleeves or collars and antifriction-rolls may be made of any desired material and may be hardened, so that the parts subjected to the greatest wear will be hard, while the parts subjected to the least wear and found most difficult to harden may be of .soft material.

In assembling the parts the ends of the rivets or pivot-pins are turned over and upset, so as to firmly bind the outer links between the shoulders on the pivots and the upset ends, so that the outer links on both sides are firmly united and neither will turn on the pivots. The inner links are united in a similarly rigid manner by the sleeves or collars e, the ends of which have a driving fit in the recesses f. The surfaces subjected to wear, therefore, are not those between the pivotopenings in the links and the pivots, but between the bodies of the pivots and the sleeves or collars e.

The inner links are of sufficient length so that when the antifriction-rolls are mounted in the end portions thereof the space between tral portions of the outer links, so that if the sprocket-wheel toothhad sufficient width to substantially fill the opening between the inner faces of the outer links the surface of the teeth against a rolling-contact bearing is reduced to the extent of the thickness of the two inner links unless some means were pro vided for maintaining the chain in proper alinement other than contact with the teeth,- and by this construction also I am enabled to arrange the ends of each pair of inner links closely adjacent to the next pair, so that the space between the teeth on the sprocketwheel will be filled by the two antifrictionrolls mounted in opposite ends of adjacent sets of inner links. v

It will be observed that the seating of the ends of the bushings in the inner linksinstead .of allowing the same to pass through these links avoids all danger of the inner links being forced toward each other, and

, thus binding the antifriction-rolls, and also avoids danger of throwing the chain out of accurate alinement.

Having therefore described my invention,

' what I claim, and desire to secure by Letters the pivot-opening in the inner links, sleeves mounted on the pivots and arranged with their endsenteringthe enlarged portions in the inner links,and antifriction rolls mounted on the sleeves substantially as shown,

2. The combination in a sprocket-chain of inner and outer links, having recesses on their inner faces, pivots passing through said links,

sleeves on said pivots with their ends enter,-

i'ng said recesses in the inner' links, and fric:

tion-rolls mounted on said sleeves, substantially as shown and described. a V

ROBERT M. KEATING. W itnessesz M. H. ORAMPTON, M. J. OALLAHAN. 

